Bledisloe Cup Test between Wallabies and All Blacks scheduled for midweek to avoid clashes with AFL and NRL

The Wallabies will play their first midweek Test in 28 years in an attempt to wrest back the Bledisloe Cup from the All Blacks in Melbourne.  

The trans-Tasman rivals will meet on Thursday, September 15 at Docklands, with the embattled code avoiding a clash with AFL and NRL finals.

The prized trophy will be contested in a two-match series, meaning Australia needs to beat previous winners New Zealand in both games to clinch the trophy.

The second Test will be played at Auckland’s Eden Park on Saturday, September 24.

The last time Australia and New Zealand met in a midweek Test was on a Wednesday night in Sydney in 1994, when halfback George Gregan pulled off a match-winning tackle on Jeff Wilson to secure a Wallabies victory.

The Bledisloe Cup, which is part of the Rugby Championship, leads a busy schedule of internationals for Australia’s men’s and women’s teams.

The Wallaroos are preparing for the World Cup in New Zealand later this year and will host the Black Ferns as part of a historic double-header at Adelaide Oval on August 27.

Their match precedes a Wallabies clash with South Africa, which is the hosts’ first Test in South Australia since 2004.

Contesting the O’Reilly Cup, the Wallaroos will also take on New Zealand at Rugby League Park in a stand-alone fixture in Christchurch on August 20.

Rugby Australia also announced a NSW Test between the Wallabies and South Africa, with the venue to be confirmed, and two away Tests against Argentina in August.

Brisbane, Perth and Sydney are already hosting the coming series against England in July.

AAP